I agree whole hearted with Shaun. I have been backflusing with Cafiza,
weekly,for years with no adverse effects to my machine. Conversely, I notice
an immediate improvement to the taste of my shots after back flushing. The
taste slowly and imperceptibly diminishes over the course of a week. But
then again improves after backflushing.
Furthermore, grinders tend to build up rancid oils and should be cleaned
monthly. I vacuum it out.Clean the burrs with a denture brush and then run
some Minute Rice through the grinder. I grind 1/3 of the rice at a time and
let it sit in the machine for 5 minutes after grinding. Then I repeat the
cleaning protocol again. Immediate improvement in the shots is also noted.
On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 6:22 AM, Shaun Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:

> Sorry to jump in on this one a bit late.
>
> My lever always feels a bit stiff and 'squeaky' after backflushing, but it
> always settles back into its familiar operation after a few shots so I
> don't
> worry about it. The reason I'm posting up is to comment on the frequency of
> backflushing. I know there are different opinions out there on how often to
> backflush, first let's define the two types as a reminder - there is
> backflushing with water and backflushing with chemical. Backflushing with
> water is a good habit to get in to as often as you can. That means daily if
> you can remember, but certainly a couple of times per week would be a
> minimum. Backflushing with chemical has a wider opinion on how often to do
> it. High-volume/commercial operation approach versus home use approach
> requires different levels of frequency. A good commercial operation is
> backflushing (with chemical) throughout the day, and absolutely will do it
> at the end of each night. For home use, personally I try to backflush with
> chemical every week (or so) as I don't care for the idea that there are
> rancid coffee oils hanging around my grouphead, etc. The opinion that there
> is no need to use chemical any sooner than a 4 - 6 week period is madness
> to
> me, what is it about home use that is so forgiving that rancid oils are
> acceptable for over a month?
>
> Backflushing once a week isn't going to hurt your machine if you do it
> correctly. The only downside is a little bit of extra time taken to ensure
> your espresso is clean. The upside... no rancid coffee tainting your
> carefully prepared espresso.
>
> To end on a happy note, here are some recent shots I pulled into a bodum,
> they were from a Brazil Sul de Minas and also from an Ethiopian Chelfit.
>
> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4254181777_9a74614529_o.jpg
>
> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4254947138_0aea6c4e9e_o.jpg
>
> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4267415941_db4195dfab_o.jpg
>
> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4268161906_352acfbdcd_o.jpg
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
>
> Shaun Taylor
>
> http://forwardmomentumcoaching.com
>
> http://shaundoreenevankeegan.blogspot.com/
>
> http://shaunseye.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
> Of Enders13
> Sent: 12 January 2010 03:54
> To: Brewtus
> Subject: Re: Squeaky Lever
>
> This has been a very helpful thread and I thank all contributors, I have
> some Molykote 111 on order and will be applying referencing the link kindly
> posted by Mariowar.
>
> I noticed the stiffness and squeak while doing the periodical back flush
> with cleanser and after 6-7 back flushes to clear out the cleanser the
> lever
> feels soooo stiff I was afraid some serious damage was occurring.
>
>
>
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